The Cuban political prisoner and member of the Ladies in White, Aymara Nieto Muñoz, was exiled to the Dominican Republic this Monday after spending over eight years in prison due to her opposition activism. She arrived in Santo Domingo with her husband, former political prisoner Ismael Boris Reñí, and two of their young daughters. Meanwhile, her eldest daughter remained in Cuba, unable to bid her farewell as authorities prevented their meeting.
According to revelations by 14ymedio, Nieto was taken straight from the Bella Delicia Forced Labor Prison in Havana to the airport, in a maneuver that involved the interception of her family’s communications. “This is nothing short of exile,” activist María Regla Castro declared on social media, noting that a supportive family in the Caribbean nation has welcomed her.
Conditions of Release and Exile
Organizations such as Prisoners Defenders had pointed out days earlier that the Cuban regime had tied her release to her permanent departure from the island. Nieto was serving her second consecutive sentence, handed down in 2022 for "disorders in a penitentiary establishment" following a riot at the Guatao women's prison in 2020. This occurred just as she was nearing the end of a previous four-year sentence for "assault" and "damage."
A Pattern of Persecution
Nieto's case exemplifies a persecution pattern that began in 2015 and escalated after her violent arrest in 2018. Her initial four-year sentence was extended in 2022 by an additional five years and four months, decided in a videoconference trial her defense described as manipulated by state security. She consequently spent nearly a decade behind bars.
During her imprisonment, Nieto, a Lady in White, suffered from depression, hypertension, and dengue, and was moved over 600 kilometers from her family, preventing her from seeing her two young daughters for years. In December 2022, her husband reported that she was not receiving medical treatment for her hypertension at El Guatao prison.
International Condemnation
Independent journalist Yoani Sánchez, director of 14ymedio, labeled Nieto’s case as evidence of the regime’s repressive policies against dissenters. María Regla Castro asserted that the expulsion was coerced. Prisoners Defenders emphasized that this constitutes exile, a practice forbidden under international law, and noted that the activist had been imprisoned for eight years on political grounds.
Exile as a Tool of Repression
In recent years, the Cuban regime has exiled or barred the return of numerous dissidents, journalists, and activists, forcing them to settle abroad under the threat of imprisonment if they remained on the island. Cases like those of Anamely Ramos, Carolina Barrero, and other civil society members illustrate that exile has become a systematic tool of political repression.
The forced departure of Aymara Nieto marks another chapter in the regime’s crackdown on the Ladies in White and Cuban dissidents, leaving her family divided and the opposition figure far from her homeland.
Key Questions on Cuban Political Repression
What is the significance of Aymara Nieto's exile?
Aymara Nieto's exile highlights the Cuban regime's ongoing use of forced exile as a means to silence political dissent and break up opposition families.
Who else has been affected by this policy of exile?
Other individuals, such as Anamely Ramos and Carolina Barrero, have also been forced into exile, demonstrating a pattern of targeting civil society members and activists.